Kissimmee City Hall in Kissimmee, Florida. — location anchor for the case — Credit: CC BY 3.0
Madeline Soto was a 13-year-old girl from Kissimmee, Florida. She disappeared on February 26, 2024, after staff at her middle school reported she had not arrived for class that day. On February 27, 2024, the Orange County Sheriff's Office publicly requested information from the community regarding her whereabouts.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office launched a search for Soto on February 28, 2024. Her body was found in a wooded area on March 1, 2024. Once the case was confirmed as a homicide, the Kissimmee Police Department took over the investigation. A report released by the department in August 2024 stated that Soto died of strangulation.
During the investigation, authorities located video evidence showing Stephan Michael Sterns — the boyfriend of Soto's mother — discarding items into a dumpster on February 26, 2024, the day Soto went missing. Inside the dumpster, investigators recovered Soto's backpack and her school-issued laptop. That same day, Sterns's phone underwent a factory reset, which Sterns claimed was accidental.
On February 28, 2024, Sterns consented to a police search of his phone. The following day, the sheriff's office reported that investigators had discovered photos and videos on Sterns's phone and Google Drive depicting him molesting Soto, with material dating back to when she was eight years old. Sterns's legal team sought to have this evidence excluded, arguing it had been obtained without a search warrant.
In April 2024, a grand jury indicted Sterns on a murder charge. On June 10, 2024, the Ninth Judicial Circuit Attorney's office announced it would seek the death penalty. Sterns's attorney argued against capital punishment, citing the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments and characterizing the death penalty as cruel and unusual punishment.
On July 21, 2025, Sterns pleaded no contest to the murder charge and pleaded guilty to 60 additional sex crime charges. Later that same day, he was sentenced to 21 concurrent life sentences in state prison, with no possibility of parole.
In the aftermath, community members proposed installing a memorial bench in a park in St. Cloud, Florida to commemorate Soto, and organized a t-shirt drive to help fund the memorial.
Madeline Soto is reported missing after not arriving at her middle school; Stephan Michael Sterns is recorded on video discarding her backpack and school laptop in a dumpster, and his phone undergoes a factory reset.
2024-02-27
Orange County Sheriff's Office publicly requests information about Soto's whereabouts.
2024-02-28
A search for Soto is conducted by the Orange County Sheriff's Office; Sterns consents to a police search of his phone.
2024-02-29
Sheriff's office reports finding images and videos on Sterns's phone and Google Drive depicting molestation of Soto dating back to when she was eight.
2024-03-01
Soto's body is found in a wooded area; case is taken over by the Kissimmee Police Department as a homicide investigation.
2024-04
A grand jury indicts Sterns for murder.
2024-06-10
The Ninth Judicial Circuit Attorney's office announces it will seek the death penalty against Sterns.
2024-08
Kissimmee Police Department releases a report stating Soto died of strangulation.
2025-07-21
Sterns pleads no contest to murder and guilty to 60 sex crime charges; he is sentenced to 21 concurrent life sentences without parole.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
VIDEO
That Chapter / 33 min
The Disturbing Case of Madeline Soto
People
Madeline Soto
VICTIM
13-year-old girl from Kissimmee, Florida, found dead March 1, 2024 after being reported missing.
Stephan Michael Sterns
CONVICTED
Boyfriend of Soto's mother; pleaded no contest to first-degree murder and guilty to 60 sex crime charges; sentenced to 21 concurrent life sentences without parole.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
archival location
Kissimmee City Hall in Kissimmee, Florida. — location anchor for the case
Madeline Soto, a 13-year-old girl from Kissimmee, Florida, was reported missing on February 26, 2024 and found dead days later. Her mother's boyfriend, Stephan Michael Sterns, was charged with first-degree murder and dozens of sex crimes; in July 2025 he pleaded no contest/guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Where did the murder happen?
Kissimmee, Florida.
Who was convicted?
Stephan Michael Sterns (Boyfriend of Soto's mother; pleaded no contest to first-degree murder and guilty to 60 sex crime charges; sentenced to 21 concurrent life sentences without parole.).
